Google Brings Experimental AI Search Mode to Indian Users
Google launches its AI-powered Q&A search tool for users in India, allowing complex queries and follow-up questions in English. The feature aims to compete with chat-based AI tools in one of the company's largest markets.
Google introduces its experimental AI mode to users in India, offering a Q&A-style search experience through Search Labs. The feature currently supports English and allows users to ask complex, multi-part questions along with follow-up queries to refine their results. Voice and image search capabilities are included in this rollout to accommodate local search habits.
This AI mode runs on a custom version of the Gemini 2.5 model and reflects a significant shift in how people interact with search engines. Google notes that early testers type queries that are two to three times longer than traditional searches. With over 870 million internet users, India serves as a crucial testing ground for the tech giant to observe user behavior and refine its AI products.
The launch represents Google's strategic effort to compete directly with chat-based AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Alongside AI overviews, which already reach more than 1.5 billion people globally, this new mode shows Google's commitment to evolving its core search product despite recent reports that such AI features reduce organic web traffic for publishers.